Closer to Home: Book One of Herald Spy Page 37

  “Shoot it,” she said, bluntly. “I intended to take whatever shot I could get. If I could lame it, I would, but if I had to, I would have killed it. The further Brand got from Haven, the harder it would have been for Mags and the others to arrive in time if I got into trouble.” She had already thought that through, when the horse stumbled and she fled from its mind.

  “The other question I have is this. Did you have to shoot to kill Brand?” The King leveled a steely gaze on her, but she met it fearlessly.

  “Yes, sir,” she said. “Mags was protecting Violetta, and was already exhausted. If he was murdered, Dallen would die. I had Brand’s confession, and I could not risk losing a valuable Herald and his Companion. In that light, I could not be sure of a lesser target, so I took the body-shot.”

  She had not forgotten how she had missed, when she had tried to shoot the Sleepgivers during the siege of the Bastion and had been unwilling to shoot to kill. I am not making that mistake, and taking that risk, again. Not when it’s Mags.

  The King nodded, satisfied, and turned to Mags. “I am very impressed with your little gang of runners,” he said, bringing a smile to Mags’ face. “In fact, I am so impressed that I’d like you to keep me informed about them. And should any of them show any sign of being especially intelligent, or inventive, or inquisitive, I’ll see to a sponsorship as an Artificer, and see that they are enrolled in the Collegia.”

  Well that brought a smile to Mags’ face. Amily squeezed his hand, happy to see him so pleased.

  Kyril looked around at all of them. “Well,” he said, at last. “We have somehow managed to come to Year’s End. We will have a great deal to be grateful for, tomorrow night.”

  Amily nodded. And realized that this would be her first Midwinter’s Eve Feast with the King and his immediate family and friends. Something new . . .

  “And we will have a very important question to be answered in the New Year,” the King continued, with a twinkle in his eye that had not been there since the entire disaster of the two feuding Houses had begun.

  “And that would be, Kyril?” Nikolas asked, looking as if he had no idea what his old friend and King was about to say—though Amily was pretty certain she knew.

  And that was confirmed a moment later.

  He laughed, probably anticipating her father’s stunned reaction. “How soon can we get these two married?”

  The look on Nikolas’ face . . . was beyond price.